Many animals, including dogs and cats in particular, are instinctively programmed to hunt or otherwise work to obtain their food. However, present day conventional open top food dishes may suppress or blunt these instinctual behaviors or urges of pets. That is because conventional open top food dishes present the food so as to provide unfettered access to the food, whereby the pet does not have to work more than a nominal amount to find or consume the food. Some pets, particularly cats, have a tendency of overeating when presented with unfettered access to a dish full of food. Overeating can lead to obesity and related problems, including thyroid related problems, and other health problems.